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Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg; Photo Credit – www.victorian-gothic.co.uk  THE BACK: (L-R): Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, brother of the groom; Princess Louise of Wales; Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Princess Victoria of Wales; Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, brother of the groom THE MIDDLE: (L-R): Princess Maud of Wales; Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine; Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein THE FRONT: (L-R): Princesses Victoria Melita, Marie, and Alexandra of Edinburgh and the bridal couple

July 23, 1536 – Death of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England, in Thetford, Norfolk, England; buried first at Thetford Priory, later moved to St. Michael’s Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England
Henry Fitzroy died somewhat unexpectedly at the age of seventeen, likely of tuberculosis. At this point, King Henry VIII had made both of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, illegitimate and was left with no real heir. Henry VIII may have been planning to legitimize his son in the years before Fitzroy’s death. Fitzroy was buried rather hastily at Thetford Priory in Norfolk and with no autopsy, suggesting that perhaps he died of the plague. Fitzroy’s remains were later moved to St. Michael the Archangel Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England where his widow was later interred.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

July 23, 1781 – Birth of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Juliane Henriette Ulrike
Juliane was the aunt of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She had a very unhappy marriage with Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia, grandson of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia and son of the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. In 1799, Juliane left Russia under the auspices of medical treatment but was soon forced to return. After her father-in-law Paul I was assassinated in 1801, she once again found an opportunity to leave. Later that year, her mother came to Russia to accompany Juliane to Coburg to recover from ill health. Upon arriving back home in Coburg, she refused to ever return to Russia and soon began to negotiate for a divorce. However, the Russian court would not allow a formal end to the marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia

July 23, 1880 – Birth of Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma in Biarritz, Switzerland
Full name: Elia Roberto Carlo Maria
Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma was head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former ducal throne of Parma from 1950 until his death in 1959. Additionally, he served as regent from 1907-1950 for two of his elder brothers, Enrico and Giuseppe, who were mentally disabled.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma

July 23, 1885 – Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and Prince Henry of Battenberg, at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
In 1884, Henry of Battenberg’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the eldest child of Queen Victoria’s third child Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. Of course, Henry attended the wedding in Darmstadt and so did the bride’s aunt, Princess Beatrice. Queen Victoria had expectations that Beatrice would never marry and would remain her personal assistant and secretary. However, during the wedding celebrations, Henry and Beatrice fell in love. When Beatrice told her mother of her desire to marry Henry, Queen Victoria did not speak to Beatrice for seven months. Eventually, the Queen realized that Beatrice would not back down and with some persuasion from the Prince of Wales, Alice’s widower Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg, Queen Victoria decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his military career, his nationality, and his home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg

July 23, 1986 – Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Sarah and Andrew had crossed paths throughout their lives, but they first really noticed each other a couple of years prior to their engagement at a weekend party at Floors Castle, the Scottish home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe. Afterward, Sarah visited Windsor Castle, attended Ascot Week, dined at Buckingham Palace, and attended the ballet at Covent Garden with Andrew. Their friendship was slowly becoming something more. Their budding romance was helped along by the matchmaking skills of the Princess of Wales. Diana and Andrew, having been childhood neighbors at Sandringham, were longtime friends. On February 19, 1986, Andrew’s birthday, at the Scottish home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe, where their romance first started, Andrew proposed to Sarah. Sarah accepted but added, “If you wake up tomorrow morning, you can tell me it’s all a huge joke.” Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson separated on March 19, 1992, and divorced on May 30, 1996. The couple remains on friendly terms and Sarah, no longer HRH The Duchess of York, uses the style of a divorced duchess, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson

July 23, 1999 – Death of King Hassan II of Morocco in Rabat, Morocco; buried at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco
On July 23, 1999, King Hassan II of Morocco died, aged 70, from pneumonia in Rabat, Morocco. Over forty heads of state and other dignitaries attended his funeral including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, American President Bill Clinton, former American President George H.W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Prince Charles representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The funeral became a diplomatic opportunity with many of the leaders holding informal meetings before and after the funeral.
Unofficial Royalty: King Hassan II of Morocco

July 23, 2012 – Death of Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968, in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland; buried at the Royal Chapel in Königskapelle in Karrösten, Austria
Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen was Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968 until his death in 2012. Having no children, his death brought about a dispute over the headship of the family between several of his relatives.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen

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